Struggling with King County Medic One

knightfire8

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WARNING: Incoming LONG post (thank you in advance for your time & patience in reading as much as you can...)

Hi guys! First post here so if this is in the wrong section feel free to move it. Wasn't 100% sure where exactly this post would fit.

Anyways! I just hit my 3 year mark as an EMT in Seattle working for AMR. I told myself that I would apply to King County Medic One once I hit the minimum requirements (3 years) and then if I got denied I would just look elsewhere for Paramedic Training (TCC, Central, or maybe even outside the state).

This is where my current dilemma comes in. The last 3 or so months my partner and I have been interacting with Medics that have given us a lot of grief for requesting a Medic eval. We don't call for medics unless we're actually worried about our pts. I'm talking BPs 70/50, HR > 140, pale, diaphoretic, etc. We are very familiar with the system we work in and how more pts are likely to go BLS versus ALS based on the way the system is set up. We realize that sometimes it's better to just run the pt into the hospital if we're 5 minutes away with a good report rather than waiting 10-15 mins for medics to show up and /possibly/ take the pt. We also know when the boundary of negligence and recklessness is being pushed a bit too far.

The last few times we've called for medics the ones that have showed up have been rude to us, treated us as lesser coworkers, and generally been irritated that they were called to begin with. Most recently we were told we needed to "review our ALS indicators" when we called for medics for a female in her 50-60s that was pale, altered, in and out of consciousness, BP of 70/50, and with a weak radial pulse.

Now I realize no 2 medics are identical...we're human after all. But this past run I had with medics actually made me fully reconsider if I even want to apply to KCM1 to begin with. We were dispatched to an elderly female (70s-80s) for a possible allergic reaction. It's built as a medic response. We have an extended response time and when we get there we don't see a medic unit, just the fire engine. So either the medics got code greened and cancelled or they evaled the pt and cleared her BLS. In the elevator the FF is telling us that she had an upper endoscopy this morning and afterwards just started feeling like crap; nausea, vomiting, & dizziness. Says she felt completely fine beforehand. He also mentions that she's been having issues positioning herself anything above supine as it increases her dizziness...queue the possibly hypovolemic/postural hypotensive vibes. We get her on the bed and out of her apartment and while we're loading her into the truck she starts vomiting pure blood that looks dark. Pt acuity just went up. Now this isn't my first time a pt has done that in the back of the truck with me but usually it happens when it makes more sense for us to either upgrade our transport priority or to just continue on to the hospital. This is the first time it's happened while still on scene with Fire (to my knowledge). So I flag down the engine before they leave and have them call medics. We finish loading her into the back, get her on some supplemental oxygen, keep her flat, and monitor her vital signs. I get a bp of 74 systolic heard all the way down, hr of 72 strong and regular. pt still fully a&o but now she's pale as a sheet of paper. She's vomited 350-400ccs of blood by now. So now it seems like an active upper gi bleed. I ask about thinners and she says she's taking xarelto AND plavix for predisposition to clots. Higher and higher acuity...

The medics get there and the first thing they clear up with the engine on scene is /who/ called for the medic eval...the engine tells them it was us (AMR) that wanted it. Now their attitude towards being called out there seems to have...changed. One of the medics hops in the back with me and I ask him if he got a story/short. He says 'yes' and begins interviewing the pt while putting her on a 4 lead. He says her heart looks good...which is obviously phenomenal if that was the issue. He then takes a supine bp on the pt. He says he got "90 all the way down". I had taken 3-4 bps at this point and none of them were above 80. I also noticed that when he was taking a bp the needle 'bounced back' at around 68. He wants to do posturals. So I helped him sit her up semi-fowlers and before he takes the next bp he prefaces it by saying, "I don't know if I'm going to hear anything different...". I see the needle bounce back at 64 this time. He takes his ears off and says he got "90 all the way down" again. He asks if I'm "comfortable with that". I tell him "No, she's got multiple comorbidities-" and that's where he cuts me off. He scoffs and says "OH comorBIDITIES" as if it was such a big boy word I used and promptly exits the ambulance saying "I hate this new AMR policy" on his way out. I'm professional on scene with other responders and especially in front of the pt until we transfer the pt over to the medic stretcher, load up our truck, and start driving with the door closed. That's when I start openly venting to my partner.

This was the call that finally broke me. Now I'm questioning if I even want to apply to KCM1 anymore. Do I want to end up like that guy? Would I want to be under his tutelage on a car with him for 24 hour shifts during training? Partnered with him after training? Are these the kinds of medics this program breeds? Where is the extensive training they have? Because I'm not seeing it.

The medics that got me interested in the program, the ones that I model myself after, the ones I look up to for guidance, the ones I respect...I feel I'm running into those medics less and less often. If I had to put a number to it I'd say I run into those medics 10% or less of the time. It actually catches me off guard these days when I have a professional interaction with medics.

I'm confident enough in my ability as a provider that any paramedic program would be fine for me. I'm hard enough on myself and my biggest critic that I always want to do my very best for my pts. I take it personally if I screw something up or could have done something just a bit better.

I'm considering still applying for the program perhaps just the 1 time because of what the program offers. The physician taught courses and lectures. The extensive time in the hospital and field to really hone my craft. The see it, learn it, do it. Learning from people that are more than just a paramedic; that are good people and know how to talk to pts and their families. The fully balanced paramedic in multiple facets of their profession.

Give me some advice ya'll...because I'm really struggling here.
 

NomadicMedic

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The reasons I went to TCC and would NEVER consider a career with Medic One.

It’s a shame to see things are the same as they were over a decade ago.
 

mgr22

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I had a similar situation in a different part of the country. I almost quit, but I stuck with it because I decided I wanted to be a medic regardless of what I saw others doing. My decision was based partly on my experience in a totally different industry where there were also good people and terrible people.

I tried to separate how I behaved from the bad examples set for me. I wouldn't say it got easy and I didn't always succeed, but I did get used to the process and don't feel my career was diminished because some of the people I worked with were jerks.

I'd understand you going either way with this. I hope you'll follow your heart and become a medic if that's what you really want to do. From Day One, you can be one of the ones setting good examples.
 

Rano Pano

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You are contemplating changing career goals because you ran into subpar providers? These medics/personality’s are at most departments/ every other job that involves coworkers.

Stay the course. It would be a big step up from AMR.
 

Jim37F

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What did the hospital say about these patients beings BLS'd? Any Nurses or Doctors saying anything about that?
At the very least I would write the run report being very crystal clear about the patient's condition and that KCM1 M# declined ALS transport.... maybe even an informal complaint with your Supes, possibly even a formal complaint if they're blatantly violating policies ("I hate this new AMR policy")

Granted you only have limited power by yourself to change much, and as a former EMT working for private ambulance under the command of LACoFD medics, I definitely feel the same "powerless to do anything other than gripe without changing anything" feelings
 

Pond Life

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I would be asking your AMR colleagues if they are having similar experiences and if so is there a pattern. If there is a consensus that there's an issue with KCM1 medics then collectively you need to kick it upstairs to your line manager who will deal with it at that level.
On a personal level you should try to increase a good working relationship with the other medics you interact with and one day there may be an opportunity to discuss this with them. You're approach should be "Hi, I'm having problems with a couple of your guys and need to ask you if its anything I'm doing and how I can put this right". You should not start off with dismissing the medics actions to their colleagues from the outset because they may become defensive.
Be the better person in this.
Please stick with your ambitions to join KCM1 - most are a good bunch and very professional.
 

ffemt8978

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What did the hospital say about these patients beings BLS'd? Any Nurses or Doctors saying anything about that?
At the very least I would write the run report being very crystal clear about the patient's condition and that KCM1 M# declined ALS transport.... maybe even an informal complaint with your Supes, possibly even a formal complaint if they're blatantly violating policies ("I hate this new AMR policy")

Granted you only have limited power by yourself to change much, and as a former EMT working for private ambulance under the command of LACoFD medics, I definitely feel the same "powerless to do anything other than gripe without changing anything" feelings
This ^^^

Documentation is critical if for no other reason than to cover your own butt. You don't want to be the one explaining why an altered patient with BP 70/50ish was deemed a BLS transport at a Morbidity and Mortality meeting.
 

DrParasite

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I have no first-hand knowledge of KCM1. From what I read, they pay really well, they pay you hourly to attend paramedic training, and their training is top-notch (albeit brutal when it comes to schedules). If I was you, I would absolutely apply, because that's not an offer you will get elsewhere. If you get in, great, if not, you can always look elsewhere. if you get in and then decide to go elsewhere, you will still have your NRP cert, KCM1 on your resume, and you were paid for your training, so you aren't in a ton of debt, and you have ALS experience in one of the most recognizable programs in the US. You could literally apply to a dozen programs across the US, and your application would go to the top of the list. So I would definitely apply.

As for the situation you experienced, it's not just KCM1 that has paramedics like that; I have interested with several in NJ, in multiple systems. Some paramedics think if they aren't dropping a tube that they aren't needed. Other times, it's a communication issue, or you misinterpreted what the medic was saying (not saying that's the case here). This definitely sounds like one of those cases where the medic was wrong, however we are only seeing one side of the story; what does the medic say, and what does his/her chart say about the patient?

To be honest, I would follow up with your AMR supervisor to see what the response is. Another option would have been to ask a KCM1 supervisor to meet you in the ER to discuss your concerns. The older I get, the less I care about what a paramedic from another agency thinks of me, so if he or she is mad that they had to come out to assess the patient.... oh well, not going to lose sleep over that one; after all, we are all paid by the hour, not the call.

The bottom line is, some paramedics think that if they aren't doing an immediate intervention to save the person's life, then they should be canceled by BLS. I understand that perspective (to a point), but I also realize that there are times when it is in the patient's best interest for us all to take a ride to the ER.

I can think of one time for the ALS released a patient to us (BLS crew), and she went into respiratory arrest on the way to the hospital. I think that crew got called into the clinical coordinator's office on that one, because I def didn't think this was a BLS patient. Mistakes happen, but you also need to be able to advocate for your patient (I know, this is sometimes easier to do in some systems vs others).
 

NomadicMedic

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With all due respect, unless you’ve worked in King County, you really have no place to comment. King County does not function like any other place in America.

Complaining about the paramedics is a pathway to termination. Not just at AMR, but at any agency that functions on the BLS level in that county. Firefighters, even though they’re simple EMTs, have a higher place in the hierarchy then do private ambulance companies transport EMTs. There is zero accountability for the paramedics when interacting with the BLS crew. It’s a bad place to be anything but a paramedic.

For those of you who have been here for a while, you know my opinion of King County ALS. When I first decided to pursue a paramedic pathway, I was sure that I would become a king county medic. All I knew was what I saw from the outside. After working as a BLS provider in King County I realized that this was not a system that I wanted to be part of. Of course, I was a BLS provider that had many years of experience as an EMT prior to working there and my expectations of how a paramedic should function in a tiered system were very different than what happened in King County.

The stories of ALS downgrades or paramedics denigrating EMTs in front of patients and firefighters were legendary. I chalked most of that up to inexperienced EMTs who felt as though they were being talked down to and were butt hurt. Then I started to see it for myself, and I was amazed at the things that the paramedics in King County could get away with. Things that would honestly get you fired, or at least remediated, in any other system. I was told in no uncertain terms that if I complained about any of the patient care from paramedics I would be fired. I witnessed paramedics downgrade clear ALS calls to BLS. I watched paramedics cancel themselves on calls that “looked like BS” without ever making patient contact. I’ve taken unresponsive and apneic patients to the hospital in a BLS unit that the paramedics deemed suitable for downgrade. I watched a paramedic slam a medic unit door in the face of a patient's daughter, saying “get the f*** out of here!”

The culture and interaction between the various levels of EMS in king county are toxic and broken. And it has been forever. King County cares about paramedics, anyone else is simply beneath their level of recognition. And, if you have this discussion with anyone at Medic One, it’s roundly denied and you get told that the culture is changing. And then as soon as mom turns her head, they’re back to kickin’ the dog.

I wanted to be a paramedic. Tacoma community college was the choice for me. I never applied for the King County program. I lost any interest in that program when I saw how they treated EMTs and how that culture was passed on. And it’s even more disturbing to see paramedics graduate from that program and forget where they came from and continue to treat EMTs like dirt. And for what it's worth, I'd have no problem saying this directly to Dr. Copass, Dr. Rea, or Mike Helbock. I respect and admire them all...

I'm sure @KingCountyMedic will be here to defend his system. And he should. They pay his mortgage. But honestly, from someone who’s been there, albeit on the BLS side, don’t drink the kool-aid. It may look like grape, but it tastes like pisss.
 
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FLMedic311

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Hey there,
I just want to say that as a KCM1 paramedic I do not condone poor treatment of any EMT, Firefighter, RN, Tech or anyone for that matter!
@NomadicMedic and I have have had conversations about culture around here in the past and present. I would stand by my opinion that the description I have read here would be more the exception and not the rule as compared to what I have heard it once was.
I would like to start off by saying that I agree that a great career as a paramedic is made by you and not just the dept you work for. There are plenty of places outside that offer great opportunities as well! If you are having doubts, I would encourage you to broaden your horizon and seek other opportunities, and I along with others here would be glad to help point you in the right direction based on what it is you are looking for.
With that said I also believe that KCM1 might just be one of the greatest places to work and I feel fortunate to have the opportunity that I do. I am and will continue to be a strong supporter of our program and feel confident in saying that we are only getting better and growing positively year by year.
I do have a question regarding your story, not to call you out or down play your recent experience, just looking for some clarification to be sure. For anyone who doesn't know I believe about 3 months months ago (Not exactly sure) AMR lost its final contract in Zone 3. We only have Trimed in our area as of right now. You also stated that you work in Seattle, and if you are referring to Seattle proper I want to be sure that you are not confusing KCM1 with Seattle Medic One as we are not the same dept. We do all have Medic One on our trucks, but we are completely different departments.
Assuming this is not the case and this was an interaction with a KCM1 medic, I am sorry if you were treated disrespectfully and it is unfortunate that this happened to you. I know I am repeating myself a bit, but I feel confident this is happening far less then it has in the past. For me the bottom line is it is my honest opinion that I would not let an incident such as this dissuade you from applying with us. The people we are hiring are becoming part of the solution, not the problem. At the end of the day the medic you become should be a projection of what you think a medic should be, not a reflection of what you have experienced.
 
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knightfire8

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I had to shorten everyone's quotes that I was responding to because it went over the 10k character limit LOL

The reasons I went to TCC...
That's frustrating to hear that it's been that long and the way I describe the system is near identical to when you worked it.
I had a similar situation...
I was told something very similar by a coworker of mine. It's good advice and definitely something I'll have to constantly work on and keep vigilant about if I end up being accepted into the program and encounter these kinds of coworkers.
You are contemplating...
Not career goals per say, but where I want to learn paramedicine from. I agree that every job has bad coworkers; there's no way around that. I think, personally, what I'm most struggling with is that Medic One is one of the more competitive programs, has much more training, and have higher quality training directly from physicians and I'm not seeing that in the field.

I definitely agree it would be a big step up from AMR and I think I owe it to myself to apply at least once.
You can be a great medic in plenty of other places.
Appreciate it. I agree.
What did the hospital say...
So the medics begrudgingly ended up transporting this particular pt. But only after I refused to transport them BLS.

Other calls I've been on the medics have, to a larger degree, bullied us into taking the pt. We've definitely received a fair amount of feedback from RNs and MDs at the receiving facility that are outraged that some of the pts we bring in are cleared BLS by the medics. We do a large amount of CYA in our documentation in either scenario. I'm not letting the blame get put on us and even document their words verbatim at times.

I've filed complaints/incident reports in the past. Nothing changes. It's too political that AMR contracts BLS with the City of Seattle. They don't want to piss off Fire. Fire is already pissed off enough these days. AMR won't do anything to jeopardize their biggest Fire contract in this County.

Sounds like you know how it is. I honestly considered working for McCormick Ambulance for a while when I was pondering moving to LA. The sad reality of the food chain and hierarchy where nothing changes until something /really/ bad happens is all too real. And sometimes something bad happens and things still don't change...
I would be asking your AMR...
They have similar experiences but it's also been that way since I've been here the last 3 years. We've had our Senior Chief/Liaison with Fire talk to them about "educating their guys" on various runs and situations that we come across regularly and then we see it consistently still happening.

That's a really good idea and a great way to phrase things. Less attacking and making them defensive and more "what exactly is going on here and is it me?". That could definitely bring them to talk about their less than model coworkers more openly or allow them to give me some insight into their situation.

I'll try! I'll at least give it 1 application and then look elsewhere.
This ^^^

Documentation is critical if for no other reason than to cover your own butt. You don't want to be the one explaining why an altered patient with BP 70/50ish was deemed a BLS transport at a Morbidity and Mortality meeting.
Oh yeah. I'm huge on documentation. ESPECIALLY if it's a sick pt.
I have no first-hand knowledge of KCM1...
I agree, there's a ton of upside if I can make it into KCM1 and stick it out. Even if I decide to go elsewhere there's a lot that having gone through KCM1's program will do for me.

I would love to read their chart and get more of their perspective on things. I'm not convinced it would change my mind on things but I'm always open to hearing what the other side has to say. I'm open-minded enough to give people the benefit of the doubt and seriously reconsider my position if the argument is strong enough.

I'm not 100% that option is in my playbook as I may risk termination if I "cause enough problems".

I try to keep my medic evals limited to pts that I believe need immediate interventions started before arrival to the ER. IVs, fluids, cardiac monitoring, possible intubation, etc. There are times when a pt falls into this gray area where you could argue BLS versus ALS. I'm sure some pts just need transport by ALS /in case/ something happens but don't necessarily need any immediate interventions at this very moment. I would love to be equipped with a few more interventions like IVs, Fluids, & Breathing treatments. I feel like that would solve a lot of the "gray area" pts that just need 1 or 2 things but don't necessarily need the whole Medic One cavalry.

I try to always be a pt advocate. Sometimes I advocate for my pts and choose to run them into the hospital with a good report rather than waiting for ALS to possible take the pt and sometimes we sit on scene or do a medic meet when appropriate so we're still getting them towards definitive care without wasting too much time. The pt is always my highest priority.

With all due respect...
Unfortunately everything you've said is so true that it actually hurts. It's also, however, somewhat therapeutic to hear that someone else had the same struggles with this system that I'm currently having with it. It's nice being able to talk to someone that worked in our system and really knows it inside and out and isn't just making guesses out of speculation. You really have to work here to know what it's like.

It truly is incredible what these medics can get away. I've seen them be negligent, reckless, disrespectful, egotistical, condescending, and just generally not seem to care if a pt died or not on the way to the hospital. In their recruitment video their medical director talks about creating medics that do not fear death. I tell people these days that they took that advice too literally and now they don't even care about the pt anymore.

I too have been told that the culture is changing and have been subtly hopeful that what I was being told was true. If you were told that a decade ago then it's obviously just something they keep on saying to keep wandering minds at bay.

It's funny you mention @KingCountyMedic as he was actually the reason I made an account here in the first place. I tried messaging him directly but he hasn't responded yet. It was probably better to have made my inquiries open to everyone anyways.

While I have you...did you enjoy going to TCC? They seem like the front-runner for me as of now mostly due to proximity and a couple friends with positive anecdotal experiences.
Hey there,
I just want to say that as a KCM1 paramedic...
It's true we very recently lost the contract to Trimed. So most of my interactions these days are with Seattle medics but I did run into KCM1 medics a fair bit when I was forced into South County while we still had the contract with very similar experiences. I ran into plenty of great ones too that I would be honored to learn from. You sound like one of the good ones. Thank you for being here.

I'm definitely going to take this advice to heart as I'm a firm believer that I can build myself into any kind of provider I want to be. And I've always wanted to be a great one. One that my coworkers love to work with and can trust with pt care. One that my coworkers would be relieved to hear took care of their friends or family. I do what I can to impact pts on a BLS level right now and I hope to keep the same vigor on my road to ALS. I never want to settle for being an "okay" or subpar provider. I screw up sure but I always try to learn going forward and be as thorough as I can and never take anything for granted or assume anything.

To Everyone:​


Thank you so much everyone for your input and help. You guys gave such thoughtful and elaborate responses and I thought it was only right to respond to each of you as everyone here spent their valuable time & effort in helping me when none of you were obligated to. This weekend has simultaneously been the most depressing and also the most stressful for me in a very long time. And I wasn't even working these 3 days I had off. I kept ruminating on the most recent experience I had with medics and how earth-shattering it was to my ambitions for KCM1 and how this kind of EMS system has operated like this for going on 50+ years. People always ask us about the crazy **** we see in our profession and I am a firm believer that the human element of this line of work always finds a way of ****ing with me and really screwing up my day. That particular day it was a higher level provider that got upset that I didn't feel comfortable transporting what I believed to be a sick pt.

Going forward you guys have confirmed what I was on the fence about and I will be applying to KCM1 this month. I don't see myself applying more than once and further delaying my ALS training but I think it's worth a shot at least the one time. If I get in you better believe I'll also be heeding what ya'll have told me and keep on myself to remember where I've come from, being the better provider among those that teach me, and just generally being the medic I know I have the capability of being.
 

NomadicMedic

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While I have you...did you enjoy going to TCC? They seem like the front-runner for me as of now mostly due to proximity and a couple friends with positive anecdotal experiences.

Yes. I really enjoyed TCC. Probably one of the best experiences of my life. Becoming a paramedic at TCC changed me.

Of course, it was over a decade ago and things may have changed. Mike Smith was my instructor and he made that program. His personality was so large and effusive, you couldn't help but be proud to be "one of Mike's guys". Melissa Stoddard is an amazing teacher and has done a great job improving what Mike built after his untimely death in 2013. I recommend TCC without reservation.

Almost all the members of my cohort are now engaged in some sort of leadership role, either as an MSO or line officer in area fire departments. One of them is a TV star. LOL

Very few of us left for other places.
 
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Carlos Danger

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I don't know anything about KCM1, but If your interactions are any indication that the culture there is as toxic as what @NomadicMedic describes, then, like him, I'd personally want no part of it. If it has improved substantially since his time there, then you shouldn't let a few bad interactions dissuade you from what you want to do, because you'll find at least a handful of dbags at every big place - there's no escaping those types.

I agree, there's a ton of upside if I can make it into KCM1 and stick it out. Even if I decide to go elsewhere there's a lot that having gone through KCM1's program will do for me.
Places with elite reputations rarely live up to all the hype, so I would try to avoid being starstruck. KCM1 may be a good place to work and yeah it'd be cool to get paid to go to school, but community college paramedic programs are really cheap anyway, and there are lots of really good EMS agencies to work for out there, if you are willing to do your homework and move to where the good jobs are. Without any firsthand knowledge of the place, I can confidently tell you that being able to put "KCM1 Medic" on your resume will not influence your career nearly enough to be any factor in your decision.
 
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knightfire8

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Good luck. I hope that you continue to be positive and always strive to be a patient advocate.

I appreciate your thoughtfulness in the response you’ve written. Well done.
Always. Thank you very much. I appreciate your responses and perspective from someone that's worked this system like me.
Amen. Excellent advice. This should be copy and sticky note pasted to every paramedic-to-be’s forehead.
Preach.
Yes. I really enjoyed TCC. Probably one of the best experiences of my life. Becoming a paramedic at TCC changed me.

Of course, it was over a decade ago and things may have changed. Mike Smith was my instructor and he made that program. His personality was so large and effusive, you couldn't help;p but be proud to be "one of Mike's guys". Melissa Stoddard is an amazing teacher and has done a great job improving what Mike built after his untimely death in 2013. I recommend TCC without reservation.

Almost all the members of my cohort are now engaged in some sort of leadership role, either as an MSO or line officer in area fire departments. One of them is a TV star. LOL

Very few of us left for other places.
Sad to hear he passed away. He sounded like an amazing teacher. I'm jealous. I'll probably send in my application if KCM1 doesn't go over well.

That's awesome. Where do you work now if you don't mind me asking?

LOL! That video is hilarious hahahaha....I feel like we've both seen that run too many times...especially in Seattle. I really enjoyed the way he talked to the pt. It was blunt and to the point but also seemed to come from a place of caring.
I don't know anything about KCM1, but If your interactions are any indication that the culture there is as toxic as what @NomadicMedic describes, then, like him, I'd personally want no part of it. If it has improved substantially since his time there, then you shouldn't let a few bad interactions dissuade you from what you want to do, because you'll find at least a handful of dbags at every big place - there's no escaping those types.


Places with elite reputations rarely live up to all the hype, so I would try to avoid being starstruck. KCM1 may be a good place to work and yeah it'd be cool to get paid to go to school, but community college paramedic programs are really cheap anyway, and there are lots of really good EMS agencies to work for out there, if you are willing to do your homework and move to where the good jobs are. Without any firsthand knowledge of the place, I can confidently tell you that being able to put "KCM1 Medic" on your resume will not influence your career nearly enough to be any factor in your decision.
Very true.

I'm definitely way past the "starstruck" stage and well into the "is this really what I want" stage.

Good point! In retrospect my career goals and ambitions won't change whether or not I make it into KCM1 or not. The type of medic I want to be is higher up on my list rather than where I practice or who I practice with. Sound advice, thank you.
 

johnrsemt

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Knightfire: Go to medic school; take what you have learned from the good medics and expand on it.
Also take what you have learned from the bad medics, and make sure you never do that, either to the EMT's or more importantly to the patients.

I had a medic do that to me, I called for ALS because of a breathing issue, and he hopped on the truck and checked BP and said it was BLS; so by the time we hit the hospital I was bagging a patient that I had put a combitube into: I got yelled at by the ED staff, and by management until I gave them the note I made the medic sign. Oops, but the manager called the ED doc and explained that I tried to get help.
 

DrParasite

The fire extinguisher is not just for show
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I had a medic do that to me, I called for ALS because of a breathing issue, and he hopped on the truck and checked BP and said it was BLS; so by the time we hit the hospital I was bagging a patient that I had put a combitube into: I got yelled at by the ED staff, and by management until I gave them the note I made the medic sign. Oops, but the manager called the ED doc and explained that I tried to get help.
I'm sorry but I need to ask: does Medic one have a QA department? if your complaints fall on deaf ears, what about the ED? Do they file complaints with Medic One's medical director? or with their QA Department? or field supervisors? You might just be a lowly ambulance driver, and your company wants to kiss the a** of medic one, but what about the ER? and the attendings? This sounds like a systemic issue, especially with so many poor clinical decisions that are reported by posters about the paramedics.

To be honest, it sounds like a horrible place to work as a BLS provider, and you couldn't pay me enough to do it. Esp if you frequently get yelled at by multiple people because of the poor clinical actions of medic one staff. I would quit and move anywhere else and be an EMT.
 
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